Burning
by BingBong036
Summary: The team goes to a high school to investigate a chemistry experiment that went horribly wrong. While there, they encounter a student named Kota, who might also be a genius. Walter rushes to recruit her on the team before her family ruins her chances of ever being successful.
1. Teenagers

**A/N So this is my first fanfic on Scorpion. The relationships between Paige and Walter and Happy and Toby are established, but they are both in the very early stages of their relationships. Tell me what you guys think! Sometimes, stories flow out of my head like water and they are smooth and even and everything makes sense. Other times, they're really choppy. I felt like this story was somewhere in between. So definitely review and tell me if you want me to continue. And, in case it wasn't obvious, I do not own any of the characters, except Kota. **

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><p>"Hey guys! I think I might've found a job for us!" Sylvester shouted to the team from behind his desk. The team hadn't worked on a case in a few weeks and they were beginning to worry that the government didn't trust them anymore to do the job logically efficient. So Walter told the team to search for easy-to-solve cases so they could build up their repertoire with the FBI.<p>

"What's it on, Sylvester?" Paige said coming around the corner from the kitchen where she made herself a sandwich.

"Explosion in a high school chemistry class severely injuring the instructor. Major damage to the classroom but overall, no other damage to any other part of the school. The government is suspecting foul play but they aren't sure." By the time he was finished explaining the basics of the case, the rest of the team had filed in.

"Easy enough. But none of us are exactly chemistry geniuses." Toby said.

"We're talking a high school chemistry class. Paige could probably teach it." Happy replied condescendingly. "I agree with you Toby, I'm not a chem major either, but even I was bored in my science classes."

"You have an eidetic memory, you probably flipped through all of your books once and then aced the year." Toby said turning to her.

"Still," Paige interjected, "I didn't exactly make honor roll in high school."

"Really?" Sylvester finally said after a few moments. "I thought you would be the over achieving type. Always has to have straight A's, teachers' pet…" he drifted off.

"Seriously?" She started laughing, "Is the human calculator accusing me of being a nerd in high school?" She had to sit down from laughing too hard.

"Guys, focus. I don't care if this is going to be a walk in the park for us. We have to show the FBI and Cabe that we can be serious and follow orders. So just try and listen to the police." Walter got up from the stool he had sat down on and grabbed his laptop bag and headed towards his car. The rest of the team just sighed and followed.

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><p>The drive across town was relatively short in Toby's mind. He and Happy had begun seeing each other from time to time. Mainly they just saw action movies or hung out and played video games. Anytime Toby tried to make any advance in a relationship between them, Happy would make a comment and they would just laugh it off. This was one of the rare occasions they were alone and not in the middle of a movie (where if he tried to talk, she would 'hush' him) or in the middle of a game (where neither talked. Under <em>any<em> circumstances).

"Have you thought about us?" He asked cautiously. They were only 5 minutes from the school so if things went badly, they wouldn't be stuck in awkward silence for the whole ride.

She sighed slightly, "Yeah, and I'm gonna be honest. You know me, Toby. You know any kind of relationship, even friendships or acquaintanceships, scare me. Please be prepared to wait. I'll try, Toby. I really will, but please don't push me too hard. I like having you as a friend if I need you. And I like having someone to just hang out with and things not be weird. And I like you, Toby." She said not looking away from the road at all. Toby knew that was hard for her to say- hard for her to admit her feelings so openingly like that, so he didn't harass her for her lack of facial expression or eye contact.

"Happy, I'm prepared to wait a century for you. I feel like I already have. What's one more?" He at least got her to crack a small smile. "But seriously, I will try my best not to push you. And if I ever do, please tell me, don't just run away. I've already proven that I do and say things that I don't mean and without thinking."

"Ok. And have you considered my suggestion?"

"You said it wasn't a condition correct? Just a suggestion?"

She looked out her window- away from Toby- at the rain just misting down. "No, it's not a condition. But I hardly see how any relationship between you and I could work if you didn't at least make an effort."

"Thank you, and I agree. I don't think I have time for rehab, but I will try to keep my drinking down. I know you aren't looking for perfect and neither am I in you. Drinking is more than a habit for me now. It's a solution. Any problem I've had for the past 10 years has been solved for a short period of time by drinking. I just can't wrap my brain around not at least having that. That short period of time where I can't even focus enough to think clearly about anything. But as I said earlier, I will try."

"And I'll help you, too, Toby. You aren't going to be facing this alone. Hell, the whole team would help you if they knew." She flipped on the car's blinking signal and turned into the parking lot of the school, which effectively ended their conversation. Most of the students had been sent home, but a few were stuck if the police deemed them 'witnesses'. And obviously, firetrucks and police cars filled the lot as well.

She parked beside Walter and they all walked together to the side entrance.

"Remember guys. Protocol, order, and reason. Not hunches and sarcasm." Walter said under his breath reminding the team.

"Will do." Sylvester said. "I'm gonna head in and check out the chemicals that the police are checking out."

"I'll talk to the police chief. Paige, you wanna come?" Walter said turning to her. Toby smirked slightly at Walter's plea. _Ulterior motives_, he thought.

"Sure,"

"I'll talk to the witnesses," Toby said and he headed towards the group of students without a response from anyone.

"Right," Happy sighed. "I'll check out the damage on the school and see if anything was tampered."

After everyone had left to complete their self-assigned assignments, Walter laughed and turned to Paige. "See, we can be organized."

She laughed, "Don't jinx it. Like you said, 'in and out'."

"Right, c'mon," and he led her to the group of police officers surrounding the chemistry teacher's wife.

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><p>Toby's least favorite activity was spending time around teenagers. While he was a world-class psychologist, teenagers motives were harder to understand. They're easily influenced and practically bi-polar. He started with the guys, the faster he got them out, the easier the girls would be to talk to- hopefully more of the girls wouldn't be constantly looking over at the jocks. Before he started though, a young girl walked up to him. Probably either a junior or a senior.<p>

"Hi, are you working on this case?" She asked. She was pretty tall for her age, probably around 5'10" or 5'11".

"My team and I are assisting the police, yes. May I ask why you want to know?"

"I was just wondering if this was a closed investigation." This response shocked Toby. He was expecting her to say some snide comment about who unprofessional he looked and how he didn't look like an FBI agent or a police officer.

"I'm sorry, I can't answer that. Have to talk to the head honcho for that answer. Why would you like to know?"

"Um," she looked down at the ground. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I know what happened."

Toby relaxed. She's probably just gonna rat out some classmate of her's who supposedly had a quarrel with the teacher. "Well, you can just wait in the back of the line with the other witnesses and give your accusatory testimony against your lab partner." He answered. _Teenager wasting my time again,_ he thought.

"No, I'm not saying I know who did it. I'm saying I know how the explosion happened. He was mixing sodium metal and chlorine gas. Normally, that wouldn't do anything, but someone must have mixed in water. The products of this reaction are heat and light."

"What makes you say that?"

"You can smell it." she said as if it were obvious.

A million thoughts were running through Toby's mind, but he decided his questions could be answered later. The most important things were to follow protocol and immediately bring this student to Walter, solve the case, and get out. Toby instantly lightened his tone, "I'm sorry, please come with me and you can talk to someone about this theory."

The girl came out from behind the yellow police tape and followed Toby.

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><p>Walter had just finished up examining the evidence that Happy had brought him when Toby came by with a girl follow suit behind him. Toby looked as if he had just found a new case inside this larger one.<p>

"Toby, who is your new friend?" Paige asked. She had requested that the team try and act as normal as possible around the students. She figured it would just make the whole situation easier if they weren't flaunting their knowledge in front of everyone.

Toby frowned for a moment and turned to the girl.

Meanwhile, Walter observed the girl's height. But he also noticed a few other things: the girl's hair was pulled back into a ponytail and by the looks of it, her hair is most likely always pulled back. _Like Happy_, Walter thought. Happy once told him that it was easiest to keep her long hair out of her face while she was working. The girl wasn't wearing any makeup either. Her clothes were relatively simple, just a pair of jeans and a blouse. The girl was somewhat pretty. The only reason Walter observed that fact was because she was the only female student he saw all day so far that wasn't wearing extravagant makeup and clothes that probably cost a fortune. This girl's beauty was her roots. She clearly didn't spend hours in the morning obviously because she either didn't care or didn't think she needed it. Walter suspected it was more likely the former.

"I'm sorry, I never caught your name." Toby said pulling Walter out of his train of thought.

"Dakota, Dakota Finn. But for time's sake you can just call me Kota."

Sylvester had by then joined Walter, Paige, Toby, and Kota and smirked. "Doesn't save much time. One syllable really." Paige felt bad for Sylvester, he was trying the most out of all of them to be normal. He wasn't trying to make fun of the girl or anything, he just doesn't naturally think like a normal person.

Nevertheless, Kota shrugged, "I agree, but my peers have taken a liking to calling me that. I've brushed it off as they believe it is more efficient."

Paige frowned, "More efficient? Why don't you just call it a nickname?"

"Yeah, right. Sorry, yeah just a nickname." This shocked Toby and Walter. The girl was acting strange and that was apparent to the whole team, including Happy who had also joined. It was clear to Toby that the girl was somewhat lying. Not about what she was saying but how she was acting. This clearly isn't her normal attitude.

"I'll be the first to be blunt. What's your IQ?" Toby asked out of nowhere. Paige elbowed him. She thought he was calling Kota an idiot. But he was more wondering if she was like them. She clearly had a low EQ and a high IQ.

"Um," she sighed, "128."

Toby instantly saw through her, "You're lying."

"Toby, drop it," Happy said trying to save the poor girl from being interrogated by the psychologist.

"What makes you say that?" Kota said acting as if she hadn't heard Happy. _Probably wasn't focused_, Walter thought.

"Most people sigh or gasp when they are lying, nervous, embarrassed, or exasperated. Earlier, when you were nervous, you looked at the ground. So clearly you aren't nervous. 128 is probably higher than most of your peers. So you aren't embarrassed. And we haven't asked that many difficult questions so I doubt it is out of exasperation. So you are most likely lying. Now, coming back to my question, what is your IQ?"

"What's your's?" She asked instantly. She didn't seem surprised at all that Toby had figured it out.

"155," Toby answered honestly.

"172," she finally answered sincerely.

"Nice," Toby said laughing. He lifted his hand and gave her a high five.

"Toby, professional. Remember." Walter said.

"So you're a genius?" Paige asked incredulously.

"Um, yeah, if that's the word you wanna use, sure."

"Well, that's interesting. Walter? Would you like to do the honors?" Sylvester said, again trying- and failing- to be normal.

Walter smiled at Sylvester, "My name is Walter O'Brien. I have the 4th highest recorded IQ. And this is my team. Happy," he gestured to her, "she's a mechanical prodigy. Sylvester," he pointed towards him, "he's a human calculator. Toby's, as you can guess, is a shrink." Everyone smirked except for Kota.

"And her?" She asked clearly implying Paige.

"She's normal. She helps us interpret the world. While we help her with her son, Ralph. He is probably in school right now. He's a genius."

"So you guys are like a crime-solving team?"

"Well, when you say it like that we sound like super heroes." Happy laughed.

Kota laughed, "No, you're the brains behind the superheroes."

"Exactly," Happy said.

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><p><strong>AN Hey sorry it ends so suddenly. Haha, it kinda just ended there in my brain. Next chapter, I'll go more in depth about Kota's home life and Walter will probably talk to her about being a member of the team. Paige and Walter MIGHT, just might have a moment. I'll have to see. It will definitely become clear that I love Toby and Happy more than Paige and Walter. I love Paige and Walter, I just am obsessed with Quintus! Haha, please review and tell me what you guys think! Thanks!**


	2. Parking Lot

**A/N Thank you guys so much for your support. I will continue this as long as you guys keep up the love 3. I forgot to mention, this story isn't going to be told from anyone's perspective. The entire thing will be in 3rd person. However, I will jump around following certain characters. It'll be a lot of "meanwhiles" ;).**

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><p>The team and Kota sat around the teachers' lounge discussing the case. Well, they <em>were <em>talking about the case. After only a few minutes, the topic shifted towards Kota. Which, Toby noted, made her uncomfortable. As soon as Happy and Paige started asking her questions, her entire body shifted into the back of her chair as if she were trying to make herself look smaller.

"Do you have any siblings?" Sylvester asked. "Are they geniuses too?" he asked without waiting for a response for the first question.

"No, I'm an only child." she responded.

"Where are your parents? The must be wondering why you aren't home." Paige asked trying to be considerate of her privacy.

Kota hesitated for a moment, "My mom does drugs. She really doesn't know what is going on anymore. A few times I prevented her from over-dosing. I knew how many pills she had taken and I took the pills from her. She was too high and drunk to notice. But when she woke up, she was really angry with me. And my dad, my mom doesn't know who my dad is. A long week of partying, she always says."

The whole team went silent. Everyone has a past, they all think. Happy and Walter know what it feels like to not have a dad. Sylvester knows what it's like to not have parents who understand or even parent for that matter.

Walter was the first to speak a few moments later. "How do you pay for your house and food if your mom doesn't do anything?"

Kota smiled slightly, "Please don't tell my teachers this, but I um," she laughed, "I kind of sell, um, homework answers and lab answers to my classmates. It doesn't pay much, but it pays for food. And I signed my mother up for unemployment checks. That pays for the house."

"Is your mom home right now?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, probably. I take her pills when I go to school." She opened up her backpack and there were at least a dozen pill bottles in it, either prescription or over-the-counter. "It's just so she doesn't overdose while I'm in school. I don't sell them or anything. And when I get home, I slip them back in a drawer or under a pile of papers. That way she doesn't know I took them."

Dakota now was sitting as far back into her chair as possible. "Do you have any friends or relatives we can call?" Paige asked.

Before Kota even answered, Toby knew the answer; no. She hadn't looked down at her phone at all during their conversation, so clearly she wasn't expecting a text or phone call. When he first found her earlier, she was standing alone while all the other students stood in groups. And any relative of hers would have known about the drugs and taken her away from her mother. Unless they were also on drugs or alcoholics. In which case, they won't be much help.

"Let's not bombard her," Toby interjected. "It's a lot to process, right?" he looked over at her and she nodded slightly as if saying _thank you. _"Do you have any questions for us?"

"Is it just the 6 of you? Ralph included?"

"There's also Cabe. He works for the FBI and he helps us communicate with the government and a majority of the time he gets us the jobs." Walter answered.

"A majority of the time?"

"Well, this case we found on our own. We haven't exactly been doing what the government has asked recently." Happy smirked after Walter finished. "This is very sudden, but we can take you back to our headquarters. It's about 15 minutes from here. And we can continue this conversation in a more private manner." He turned around in his chair and looked out the window beside the door. Several teachers stood around obviously talking in hushed tones and looking at Kota and the rest of the team from time to time. "We can also call to have your mom put into rehab, if that's what you wish," he added.

"I looked into rehab, I can't afford it." She replied somewhat shamefully.

"Don't worry about the money." Paige replied with sympathy practically radiating off of her.

Kota looked a bit uncomfortable receiving what she thought was love and sympathy from practically strangers. She didn't believe her mother even knew her let alone loved her and she has never met her father. "All right. Thank you," she said.

Paige stood up, "Happy, Toby, you wouldn't mind if she rode with you guys, right? Walter and I are stopping to pick up Ralph. Sylvester said he wants stay a little longer to review the video camera footage with some police officers."

"It won't be a problem," Toby said before Happy could reply.

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><p>Dakota had never been in the part of town that the garage was in so she was silently looking out the window for most of the drive. Occasionally she would ask a question about either the team or the town, which Happy would answer quickly and then the silence would resume. Neither Happy nor Kota were bothered by the quietness, but it made Toby feel awkward. He wanted to get to know the girl- how had they never heard of her? Usually when a student is a genius his or her name is plastered all over newspapers and on TV. But hers wasn't. Why?<p>

"Have you ever travelled, Kota?" He figured he might be able to come upon the answer himself by asking innocent questions.

"Well, I used to live in Miami, but I moved here 2 years ago," _That might be why she isn't in the paper, nobody had heard of her yet. _Toby felt bad for her; she was the new girl who he assumed didn't have any friends. But then again, that's how most of team had been many years ago; the weird smart kids who never talked to anyone because they were afraid of being misunderstood and taken advantage of. But, Kota was smart. She knew she would be taken advantage of, so she made sure she was one step ahead of the game. And she capitalized on her classmates predictability. _I gotta hand it to her, she knows how to be innovative._

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><p>Walter and Paige arrived at Ralph's school about 15 minutes before it got out. However, neither of them were exactly upset over the fact that they would have to wait a few moments. Paige made trivial conversation with him which he tried to engage in. Meanwhile, in the back of his mind, he was trying to find a way to ask her out on a date.<p>

Walter spoke after a few seconds of silence, "Would you like to see a movie or something Friday?"

Paige looked at him curiously. _Is he asking me on a date? _"Don't you hate movies?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, but you don't." Paige had to turn away as a blush came on her face. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "If you don't want to, we don't have to. I just thought it would be nice to escape the controlled chaos of the team." he laughed under his breath.

"No," she almost shouted. She took a breath and continued, "I want to. I just don't know about leaving Dakota. I want to help her, Walter."

"You want to her to have a high EQ don't you?"

"Not that there's anything wrong with having a low EQ, but I see what it does to you guys. Happy can barely hold any kind of relationship with anyone-"

"She has us," he interjected

"Yes, but you're all she has. What would happen to her if one day you decide to break up the team? First of all, she would have no one to turn to and second, she wouldn't be able to make new relationships with people. And what about Toby? He would probably resort back to drinking and gambling. And Sylvester, I don't know what state of mind he was in when you found him, but I doubt it was good. This team doesn't consist of perfect mind and body soldiers. We fit together like pieces; one doesn't operate without the others. But people need to be independent to a certain extent. She- and we- can't live relying on one another."

"We can try," he said not knowing how else to respond. He knew she was right but a small part of him said it's ok to depend on people. Walter couldn't tell if that was logic that was telling him that or maybe his small EQ is finally telling him what to do. He wasn't confident enough to say anything, so he remained quiet.

"I know, you can _try, _but what if you fail? I just don't want to see her end up like her mother, drugged, delirious, and incapable of taking care of her own child. Or like her father, unknown and forgotten. A mistake, as her mother would probably put it."

Walter smiled slightly, "She's too smart to end up like her mom. And trust me, she won't be forgotten. Someday she win a noble prize or something."

Paige smiled, "I hope so," As she smiled, Walter quite literally lost his breath and had to remind himself to breath.

"It's strange," he practically whispered.

"What is?"

"Such a simple thing, smiling, can make a genius momentarily forget basic necessities of life."

Paige didn't look away this time as her cheeks got slightly pink, "I hope I never do anything to make you permanently forget," she teased.

"It might just happen someday," Some irrational part of Walter's mind told him it would be perfectly acceptable to lean in and kiss her- in an elementary school parking lot. And he was, leaning in. Paige looked him in the eyes and shifted towards him. Their lips touched lightly and Walter was in shock. He had never imagined that such a small thing could completely re-wire his brain.

He lifted his hand to cup the side of her face softly. He felt goose bumps rise on his arm as it passed the cold metal of the seatbelt. He pulled away from their kiss that lasted only mere seconds. And whispered softly, "It happened."

She looked puzzled and he answered her unspoken question, "You've made me forget how to breath."

She smiled and looked out the windshield. She saw Ralph come out of the main doors of his school. He was looking around for her. "Ralph is out of school. We should go get him,"

"That sounds logical," Walter replied. He unlocked the doors and the two climbed out to go meet Ralph.

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><p><strong>AN, Hey! Hope you guys liked this new chapter. As I said in the beginning, Paige and Walter's relationship is already established. So is Toby and Happy's, but this is Paige and Walter's first kiss! I also tried to make it apparent that Walter was almost changing. He is beginning to think more normal and he is slowly starting to act on his EQ. Hope you guys enjoyed and stay tuned for another update soon!**


	3. Plan

**A/N Hey so this is going to be a short A/N, I leaving in a few minutes. The chapter will be featuring not only a Waige moment, but also, yes also, a Quintis moment! FYI, the case with the chemistry class will soon dissolve; as the team said, it was a relatively easy case. So I hope you guys enjoy "Plan"!**

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><p>Toby pulled into the garage and parked the car. While getting out, Happy turned to Kota and said, "I can give you a tour of the garage if you want." Toby could tell Happy was trying to be nice and he smiled. Happy rarely took a liking to people, but when she did, she often tried to befriend those few individuals. Toby knew he shouldn't jump to conclusions or make wild guesses about the future, but it wouldn't surprise him if Happy and Kota ended up being great friends. They were alike in many aspects; neither liked being the center of attention nor did either of them like showing much emotion. They were independent and knew how to take care of themselves.<p>

"Sure, do you think Walter wants me to spend the night here? If so, I need to get home and grab a few things and make arrangements for my mother."

"You'll have to ask him when he gets back with Ralph and Paige. And as far as your mother is concerned, Sylvester is working on getting her another identity so that we'll be able to send her to rehab without you having to worry about where you'll be sent or if you'll be put in the system." Happy replied. Her voice turned sour once she mentioned the 'system'. Toby knew that was the absolute last thing she ever wants to talk about. Happy told him when they first got to know each other that talking about it was off limits and Toby has respected that since day 1.

"Really? I don't know what to say. Thank you," she said exasperated. She couldn't believe how much the team cared for her. It actually scares her, to have people love her and care for her so much. She took a small step back from Happy which Toby saw. A confused look appeared on his face.

"So how about that tour?" Happy asked not mentioning the fact that Kota had just taken a small step back. Happy didn't exactly mind her personal space either.

"Yeah," Happy led Kota towards Happy's workspace while Toby stayed back and turned to his computer. It didn't take long for him to reach the website for their county's prison. He clicked the search bar and typed the name, 'Jane Finn', Kota's mother. A picture of her came up with a list of charges below it. All of the charges were from when she was a teenager; theft, DUI, and possession of illegal drugs. That last charge was dropped and she never spent jail time for it. If it weren't for Dakota, Jane would clearly be dead or in jail for the rest of her life. _Disrespectful bitch_, Toby thought. Kota had practically given her life away to save this undeserving woman. Toby had to shut down his computer and walk away because he feared the more he looked into Kota's mom, the angier he would get.

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><p>Paige, Walter, Sylvester- whom they had picked up-, and Ralph pulled in and parked behind Toby's car. Sylvester got out- he wanted to talk to Kota about the fake identity he made for her mom and how the whole process will work. Walter and Paige stayed behind to talk to Ralph.<p>

"Hey, buddy. While you were at school today, the team and I, we went to investigate a new case." Walter began. He knew Ralph didn't like being talked to like he was a child, so Walter tried to be 'sensitive' as Paige put it, but still direct. "We met a woman named Dakota and we discovered that she is like us. We don't know where we are going to go from here, but I believe she could be an valuable asset to the team. I just wanted to tell you this so that you are prepared for when you come in. She isn't overbearing or anything. She's a lot like Happy."

"Ok, Walter," Ralph said simply. He didn't mind new people especially when they were like him and the rest of Scorpion.

"How about you get inside and work on your homework, sweety? And don't go searching for Kota, when she's is ready, she will come to you." Paige said grabbing his bag for him and handing it to him as he got out of the car.

"Ok, mom," he answered.

"Walter and I will be inside in a minute," he told him as he closed the door.

"Why don't we head inside now? Something on your mind?" Walter asked, turning to face her.

"I wanted to ask you about earlier,"

"Yeah...?"

"Was that a onetime thing or..."

"That's completely up to you, Paige. I... I don't have much experience with being attracted to people. I know what it feels like to like spending time around others, like Happy, Toby, Sylvester, Cabe, and Ralph. But, I'm struggling, Paige. I struggle to find words or even thoughts when you're around. Sometimes I think something is medically wrong with me, but other times I think there is another reason."

Paige hadn't said anything as he spoke, it took her a few moments to remember where she was. Walter still had a hard time processing emotions, but at least he was opening up to her. And at least she knew he felt the same way about her as she did about him. She smiled, "Absolutely nothing is wrong with you, Walter. It is perfectly normal. As a matter of fact," she began sheepishly, "I feel the same things you do. I talk to you and you seem so normal sometimes and I just have this desire to be around you. And then you get invested in a case and you go all genius-Walter on me. And I'm terrified to say something stupid and make you think that I have no clue what is happening half the time-" Walter cut her off by reaching over and hugging her.

"You are one of the smartest, most amazing, beautiful women I know. And that list honestly consists of you and Happy. But, trust me, Happy does not make me feel the same way as you do," he whispered all of this in her ear, keeping her close. He heard her gasp slightly once he finished.

"Now, before we get carried away, let's go inside." He pulled away but still grasped her hand, "I don't want to be spilling all of my secrets," he added to make her smile. And he succeeded.

The two walked in to the garage hand-in-hand to find Ralph, Sylvester, and Kota sitting around the kitchen table. Sylvester was talking to Kota while pointing to several documents.

"She will go by the new name Morgan Conners. I will drop her off at the rehab stating that I found her down an alleyway. I'll say that she was delusional and mumbling inaudibly. Her blood levels will clearly indicate that she is high, so there is no need for me to elaborate on that. This new fake driver's license will be in her back pocket along with $31 to make it look a little more believable." Sylvester explained to Kota. She didn't move during his entire speech. Sylvester didn't really know what to do or say after that; he was expecting her to have a question or comment or at least _something, _but she had just sat there the entire time. Even Ralph was looking up at her waiting for something.

Walter 'accidently' bumped into a desk with papers on it. He was trying to give Sylvester a scapegoat. Walter knew what was happening to her; she was thinking it through. Thinking about all the consequences and repercussions. And she knew that she wants to stay out of the system once her mom was in rehab, she would not be able to see her. At all. At least not for the next few years.

"Everything is taken care of. I figured Toby would help me 'carry' her into the rehab center. Say exactly what you just heard me explain to Kota," Sylvester said to Walter, breaking the silence.

Paige let go of Walter's hand and went over to Ralph and Kota. She whispered in Ralph's ear and he just nodded, grabbed his backpack, and left the room. Since Sylvester had approached Walter, he couldn't move closer to Paige in order to hear her conversation with Dakota.

"Where is Toby, anyway? And Happy?" Walter asked Sylvester. He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he was hoping that Sylvester would shut down his suspicions.

Sylvester shrugged, "I think Toby said he asked Happy to fix a bolt on his windowsill." Walter smiled internally; poor Sylvester didn't put together the facts. Toby honestly didn't care about the up keeping of the appliances in the garage or in his room/office. Happy was definitely fixing something, but Walter doubted it was a bolt. And you didn't have to be a world-class shrink to figure that out.

He simply nodded and guided Sylvester to his computer so they could finalize the papers; passport, crumbled birth certificate, etc. to plant in the Finn household.

* * *

><p>Toby entered Happy's small room without knocking. She jolted up in her bed.<p>

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said.

She looked irritated, "What, Toby?"

He sighed, this might be a difficult conversation. He moved to sit down in her desk chair before starting, "I was thinking about your 'suggestion'. And I would like to agree, you are 100% correct; we can't have any relationship if I'm gambling away our savings or getting drunk every night. So...," he drifted off for a moment, "I decided that this would be my last drink." he pulled out 2 beers from behind his back. "And this is the last thing I'm willing to bet on,"

"I don't follow, what are you betting on?" she asked.

"I will bet you that this will be my last drink for the next 5 years." He held out a $20 bill.

She thought for a moment, "Isn't that what all addicts say? 'This will be my last one'?"

He smirked, "Yes, but I haven't been telling myself that for the past 10 years,"

She nodded, "True. So why do you have 2 beers?"

His eyebrows shot up as he made a face, "Isn't it obvious?" Happy didn't move, "I want to share my last beer for the next 5 years with you."

Happy didn't respond with a sarcastic comment or anything. The look on Toby's face told her that he was absolutely serious about this; she didn't want to discourage him by laughing at him. After all, she was the one who asked Toby to stop drinking and gambling. She was shocked that he thought this much into and about her request. And how he wanted to share it with her.

She sat up from where she had been lying down and crawled slowly to the end of the bed. The desk and her chair, with Toby in it, were at the end of her bed. Once she was at the end of the bed, her face was inches from Toby. She breathed in slightly from her nose, checking to see if his breath smelled like beer. It didn't.

Everything stopped for Happy; he was practically giving up his _life _for her. Blood rushed to her head and all she could think about was how much it must have taken for him to do all this.

Without either saying a word, she grabbed the collar of his grey t-shirt and pulled him closer to her. He hesitated a moment; not that he didn't want to kiss her, but he wanted to make sure that this is what she wanted. Not just something she was doing in the heat of the moment. When she didn't pull away, he knew.

He tilted his chin forward a slight fraction and closed the space between them. Blood and heat instantly flowed to their cold lips as they kissed. Toby was very reserved in his kiss; he still didn't want her to do something she would regret. But Happy was not holding back; her hands crept up the side of his arm and one locked behind his neck while the other locked in his hair. She moved closer so they weren't so far apart and she thought she heard Toby growl quietly. She was just about to pull away and ask him if he honestly did just growl, but he stood up from the chair. He moved closer to her while flattening one hand against her back, pulling her closer to him now that she kneeling on the bed. His other hand locked in her curly hair. She arched her back into his hand and now her body was flush against his.

Toby pulled away gasping for air. Happy stayed there, slowly breathing. She knew her lungs ached for oxygen, but she didn't breath any harder than normal. Toby saw the expression of shock on her face and his heart sunk.

He pulled away and instantly said, "I'm sorry. I didn't want you to do something you were uncomfortable with, but I got carried away-"

She pulled on his neck slightly and touched her lips softly to his, effectively cutting him off. She pulled away and this time she started gasping, filling her body with the much needed air to cool herself down. The entire time, she was shaking her head. "I'm not shocked because you did something wrong. I'm shocked because everything you did felt right," she reassured him.

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><p><strong>AN, okay so what did you guys think? That last line from Happy will most likely be the best line I have ever (and will ever) come up with. I internally screamed when I thought of it. Haha, I hope you guys did too! Thank you so much for the reviews! In case you couldn't tell, Paige and Walter's relationship will start off a lot more innocent than Toby and Happy's, That is just because of the fact that Walter is trying to process all the emotions he feels as they are happening. Meanwhile, Toby and Happy know what desire and lust is like. So please continue your support because it means the world to me! Thanks!**


	4. Unwelcome Visitor

**A/N Hey! So it's like 12:30 in the morning and I'm just now posting this. So if it sounds weird, that's probably because I'm sleep-deprived right now. Haha. So this chapter is gonna get juicy! Haha, the plot line definitely develops this chapter. And there is a small moment between Toby and Walter. Ok, so when I posted this last night the first paragraph was missing. Weird, right? It doesn't make _that _big a difference, but I figured I might as well post it. Hope you all enjoy!**

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><p>"Toby! Happy!" Walter called at the bottom of the stairs. He didn't dare go upstairs and get them personally. He heard Happy's bed creak (she had gotten up) and something fall (Toby accidentally pushed the chair over). Walter's mind raced through all possible reasons for their delay and noise, but he couldn't have been more wrong. He assumed they were hurrying to put clothes on (or something of that nature) when in reality they were just getting up from Happy's bed where they had been drinking the beers that Toby brought up to her room.<p>

Toby noticed Walter's seething expression on his face and Toby couldn't figured out what would make him so mad.

"Will you 2 take Kota over to her house? She needs to pick up some clothes for the next few days and you need to plant the paperwork. We won't enact our plan for a few days; Kota needs to get her belongings out of the house. She said she doesn't have much."

"Sure. Hey kid, you know how to drive?"

"Uh, yeah? I took driver's Ed. Why?" She answered looking up from the paperwork in front of her.

"Well the last thing we want right now is for us to be pulled over for either Happy or I driving buzzed. So you got the wheel," he tossed her the keys to his car. Happy led her out to where Toby's car was parked. Toby was about to follow the girls when Walter grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"I don't want to know the details of your relationship with Happy. But I want _you_ to know that things will not end well for any of us if something happens to you 2."

"What details?" Toby could see the somewhat embarrassed look on Walter's face and he quickly figured out what Walter was thinking. "You think…? You thought we had sex?" He didn't lower his voice at all. "Walter, man, I'm sorry, but that is most definitely _not _what we were doing."

"Then what were you doing?" Walter asked still not believing Toby.

"I thought you said no details?" Walter didn't move or say anything; he was still waiting for an answer. Toby sighed, "I made her a bet, we kissed, we stopped kissing, we opened 2 beers, and we talked sitting in her bed. Her room isn't exactly a master suite. When we got up, a few things knocked over. That's it. That is the extent of any sexual relationship between Happy and I." Toby said honestly. When not gambling, Toby had a tell: his left hand clenched as if he were clutching something in that hand. Walter looked down at Toby's hand to see it perfectly relaxed and he knew Toby was telling the truth. Along with how easily and naturally the story came out. It didn't sound rehearsed or strained at all.

Walter sighed, "Toby, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and I shouldn't have started accusing you of things I know you would never do to intentionally hurt Happy. She's like a 2nd sister to me and you and Sylvester are like brothers to me. I just don't want to see anyone get hurt. You understand, right?"

Toby half-smiled, "You know, you having these fears that your friends will get hurt, either emotionally or physically, showcases your EQ."

Walter clearly didn't believe him, "Not necessarily. I just want to make sure Scorpion continues to run smoothly and effectively."

Toby smirked, "Sure. And no hard feelings about you falsely accusing me; we can't all be world-case psychologists, right?"

Walter laughed and shoved Toby's shoulder toward the door, "Go! I don't know about Kota, but Happy sure as heck isn't the most patient person in the world."

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><p>Kota pulled up in front of her house and parked the car, but didn't get out. She sat for a moment silently.<p>

"You ok, kid?" Toby asked from where he was sitting in the back.

She laughed once, "Why do you call me kid? I'm not a baby lamb. I'm a senior," she laughed.

"Ah," Toby said understandingly. "I was gonna guess junior. But are you okay?" He asked getting back on topic.

"Yeah, just hanging out with you guys for the past couple hours has been pretty cool. It's just weird coming back here. I don't know why I convinced myself that this," she gestured towards her house, "was a lie."

"In about a week you won't have to come back here and you can forget about this," Happy said trying to comfort her. Happy could feel Toby's gaze burning through the car head rest and into the back of her head.

"Yeah, I know it's stupid." She didn't wait for either Toby or Happy to respond; she opened the car door and stepped out. "You guys can stay out here; I'll only be a few minutes. I'll grab her paperwork and plant the fakes where I find the real documents."

Kota walked up to her front door and grabbed her key out of her pocket. She was confronted with the familiar smell of alcohol. She tried to keep the house nice, but there was no telling what her mother would do from the withdraw while Kota was at school. She walked down the main hallway into her living room and found her mom passed out on the floor beside the couch. Kota sighed. She left the living room and headed to mother's room. She opened the draw to her vanity and pulled out all the documents in it. Every time Kota found what seemed to be an important paper, she put it in that vanity. Kota stuffed those papers in her school bag and threw out the new papers in a variety of places; under the comforter, in the closet, in the trashcan, etc.

She left her mom's room and crosses the hall to her room. As she was packing up some of her belongings, she heard a noise.

"Toby! Happy! I said give me a minute! I'm fine!" She called frustrated. Of all people, they should know that Kota _might _just want a minute alone in what will be her old house and life.

Neither Happy nor Toby responded, so Dakota decided to go check out what they were doing. As she rounded the corner, she saw a man standing in her dining room.

"What the hell?" she screamed, "Who are you?"

The man didn't move, he just smiled. "I'm a friend of a friend. No worries, I don't come to hurt you. I only want to talk." He said calmly. Kota couldn't fathom why she felt reassured by the man's voice. He just had this smooth, soft voice that seemed trustworthy.

"Who are you?" She pressed again.

"My name is Mark. Mark Collins," he added.

"How did you get in?" she asked still keeping her distance between the man and her.

He looked apologetic, "Sorry, I'll pay for the repairs on your back window."

She shrugged, "Everything else in this house is broken, so I really don't care."

He smiled, "So, as I said, I came to talk to you. I've been informed that you have recently started affiliating yourself with Walter O'Brien, Toby Curtis, Happy Quinn, and Sylvester Dodd."

She nodded

"I just want to make you aware that they are not who they say they are,"

She snorted, "That's a bit cliché, don't you think? 'He is not who you think. He has a history that you aren't aware of.' Right?"

He chuckled, "No matter how cliché, it is true. Has Walter told you about me?"

She shrugged, "No, but in all honesty, I met him this morning. And you're a stranger who broke into my house. So..." she said.

"You met the team this morning and you're already living in the garage and driving the drunken Toby around? Wow, I'm curious as to what they'll be having you do for them in a few months."

Kota glared at him, "I'm _choosing_ to sleep at the garage tonight because I figured it's better than this hell hole. And Toby and Happy had one drink. They aren't drunk. They are not making me do anything I'm not comfortable with nor anything I don't want to. Now, if you'll please _get out of my house, _I'll be able to bet my belongings and leave."

"Ah, but we haven't even gotten to the conversation yet," he said sounding disappointed.

"I really don't care. Get out of my house before I call the police!" She shouted

"And what are you going to tell them? I broke into your clearly unfit parent's house while you were out parading with your new adult friends? They'll have your mom in government rehab and you in the system before you can even say genius. And then your plan of giving mommy a new identity will be thrown out the window."

She looked at him curiously, "How did you know that?" She demanded.

"Sylvester only wipes his tracks when he thinks someone is following. As I said, I know the team better than you ever will and I know what they are capable of. They aren't these gods sent down to watch over you and help fix your crappy life. Walter will use your brain. Toby will look at you like a social experiment. Happy might take a liking to you, if you're lucky. Sylvester will never act normal around you; he'll be too afraid that you're bringing in some disease from your mother. And Paige, she'll try and change you. Ask her, if she's honest she'll tell you how she wants you to be normal. And have friends and a life. When in reality, you know that friends betray you and you can never trust them! So you can never trust Scorpion!" He was shouting by the end of his rant and Kota was speechless. He pretty much hit every single team member on the nail.

"You're wrong. You're just upset that they didn't accept your intelligence." She was shouting in the dark; she had no idea who this man was or how he knew the team, but based on the jealously seething out of his voice, she assumed he once tried to be on the team or once wanted to be on the team.

"Didn't accept my intelligence?" He laughed out loud, but it sounded more like a scream. It actually scared Kota for a moment. "They were afraid of my intelligence. Walter didn't like not being in charge and the team didn't like the way I could pick them apart until they were nothing. And if Walter takes an interest in you, it won't be long until the rest of team wants you out." He said calming down a bit.

"You're lying," was all she could say.

He laughed, "I'm not and you know it." Was all he said. He could see the uncertainty on her face; she honestly did believe him. She finally resorted back to the only thing she could think of:

"Get out of my house," she said. Anger flowed through her voice and it was obvious that if she had any combat training (or any weapon), she would've either severely maimed him if not killed him. "And if I ever see you again, I swear to God, I will be the last person you _ev-"_

She was just about to end her threat to Collins, but Toby and Happy's entrance cut her short. "Kid, what is taking so long?" His voice drifted off as he took in the situation: Kota stood about 12 feet away from Mark Collins. Her hands were clenched into fists. Collins was smiling as if his job was complete.

"What are you doing here, Collins?" Happy said just above a whisper. She was dumbfounded that he was out of prison.

"You know this guy? Who the _hell _is he?" Kota screamed. Both Happy and Toby remained speechless.

"Long time no see?" Collins said smirking.

Toby laughed and Happy looked at him like he was crazy, "It's been a good long time. Now, not to sound repetitive, but why are you here and how did you get out of prison?"

"Prison?" Kota screamed. "I pretty much well guessed this nutjob was in prison!"

"Kota, come over here," Happy said trying to get her away from Collins. Happy had no idea what kind of weapons he had concealed away. Kota heeded Happy's advice and walked over to her and Toby and stood behind the 2.

"No worries, Happy. I'm not here to hurt her. I only wanted to have a conversation with Miss. Finn here. Wouldn't you say our conversation was enlightening, Kota?"

She didn't respond.

"Well, I'll be going. My parole officer is just around the corner. He gave me 30 minutes," he winked at Kota which only caused her to back up more.

"I'll walk you to him," Toby said. "Happy, help Kota take her stuff to the car. I'll meet you there in a minute."

"Toby..." Happy began.

Toby smiled, "No worries, I'll be gone for 5 minutes."

Happy still looked grim, "That's what Kota said," she muttered so low only Kota heard what she said. Nevertheless, Happy picked up Kota's bag and guided her to the car.

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><p>Within 5 minutes, Toby was back at the car unharmed. As soon as he opened the door to the passenger seat, Happy leaned across the console and enveloped him in a hug. "Do not ever do that again," she whispered. Kota was looking out the window and did not react whether she heard them or not. "I'm not gonna lose you,"<p>

Toby was shocked at Happy's outpour of emotion. If was not clear she was shaken up, then he didn't know what was.

"I'm here," he soothed her. "C'mon, let's get back to the garage. It's safe there." Happy nodded and put the car in drive. Toby looked in the rearview mirror and saw a ghost. Kota was like a solid statue; not moving or talking. It didn't even look like she was breathing.

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><p><strong>AN- so what did you think? Interesting? It may seem weird now, but some things that sound impossible (Collins getting parole) will be explained next chapter. And what did you think about Kota's reaction? Do you think she is actually considering that Collins might be right? Stay tuned! And thank you all so much for the encouraging reviews! Please, please, PLEASE keep them up! I would love suggestions or likes/dislikes so far! The story is honestly writing itself; I don't have the whole book planned out. So if you want something to happen, just let me know!**


	5. Earning Trust

**A/N- Hey guys! Sorry this took awhile to get up. I honestly do not know why it took me several days to write this. I've been sitting at home for the past 2 days doing absolutely nothing! I hope you guys enjoy!**

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><p>Walter and Sylvester were hunched over paperwork when Toby, Happy, and Kota walked in. Kota still hadn't said anything and she passed the 2 at the table without a word. Walter didn't notice the tension between the 3, but he got suspicious when Kota didn't give a report on the day.<p>

"How did it go?" He looked up and asked Toby.

"Not well," Toby answered swiftly. "Sylvester, can you look up the records on Collins since he's been in jail? I need to know if anything has changed with his sentencing. In fact, if anything comes up, let me know."

Sylvester didn't question Toby. He just got up and walked towards his desk and got to work.

Walter started staring at Toby, waiting for an explanation. It was clear Toby was struggling for words, but Walter was concerned about why Toby was checking up on Collins. "Toby, what happened?" He finally asked when Toby didn't start explaining.

He took a deep breath and began, "Kota told Happy and I to wait in the car. She said it would only take her a few minutes to plant the papers and get a few pieces of clothing. After 10 minutes, Happy and I both agreed that she was taking too long. We didn't know if she was just having a hard time saying goodbye or if something bad had happened. Either way, we were worried. So," he paused for a moment, "we decided to go in and check up on her. Upon walking in, we heard her yelling at someone. When we turned the corner in her house, we saw her standing approximately 10 feet away from Collins,"

Walter quite literally jumped up from his seat. Even Sylvester came back and listened in. "What?" Walter shouted ignoring Sylvester's recent appearance. "How did he get out of jail?" He said still shouting.

"We don't know. He said something about his parole officer giving him 30 minutes. I walked him back to his car and sure enough, there was a police officer sitting there on his phone."

"That doesn't make any sense. Parole officers have to stay beside the criminal when they take them out. Beside the fact that Collins shouldn't even have parole."

"He doesn't." Sylvester pipped in. "No mention in his file that he recently obtained parole."

"Well, then that obviously means that he has connections within the jail. He would have to have at least 15 accomplices to be able to get out without anyone saying anything. Happy," she looked up at him, now paying attention. "I want you and Sylvester to work together and figure out the most efficient way to sneak someone out of the prison he is in- basement, back hallways, offices. I don't care. I want to know how many people it took to get him out and how they did it. And I want to know how many people it's going to take to keep him in!"

Happy nodded and she and Sylvester went to his desk to get a blueprint of the prison.

"Paige?" Walter said bringing his voice down while turning to her, "I would like you and Toby to talk to Kota. Toby do you have any idea what Collins told Kota?"

Toby shook his head, "No, but as you can tell, she hasn't exactly been vocal since the confrontation. Whatever he told her, she's shaken up."

"I'll talk to her," Paige piped up. She saw the look on Toby's face. He looked surprised and a bit condescending. "I know I'm not a psychologist, but I can talk to her. After all, she's a teenage girl. I was that once, wasn't I?" She teased.

Walter imagination soared after that comment. All he could picture was a teenage Paige. He couldn't figure out what the feeling was inside of him. All he knew was that he wished he had been there for her when she was younger. _Wait_, he thought. _If I was there for her, she probably wouldn't have met Drew and Ralph wouldn't have been born. _

Paige walked towards the living room living Toby and Walter to their thoughts.

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><p>She found Kota sitting on the couch. She looked like a stick figure; her legs were at an exact 90 degree angle and her hands were resting on her knees.<p>

"Why are sitting like that?" Paige decided that she should start a conversation with Dakota that didn't involve Collins.

"It helps regulate blood flow to the head, neck, back, hands, and feet. It is also the most sustainable position." She answered without looking at Paige.

"Do you plan on sitting there for a long time?" Paige asked, sitting down beside her.

"Until I can figure out how to handle the situation, yes," she replied simply.

Paige exhaled softly before beginning, "Collins once talked to me too," she said quietly. She hadn't yet told anyone what he told her and Paige felt weird telling one of her biggest worries to a girl she just met.

Kota's eyes darted to the side, as she watched Paige in her peripherals. "What did he tell you?"

"He told me that Walter would never accept me; he would only be _able_ to push me away. Collins used logic and his intelligence to convince me that I was nothing to Walter. I think I interpreted his comments as Walter was using me to get figure out Ralph." Paige said somewhat shamefully.

"Did you believe him?" Kota asked finally moving her head to look at Paige.

Paige nodded, "For awhile. But then, I spent some time with not only Walter, but with the rest of the team. They once told Ralph that we were a family. And I didn't believe that after Collins, but I realized how foolish that is. You have to believe a person's actions, not the words of another. I know you don't know what happened between Mark and the team. And quite frankly, I honestly don't know everything that happened. But, Collins' intelligence also springs from his ability to manipulate people. And I also know, that I can't just tell you this and expect you to believe me. But, has anyone on the team done anything to make you question their trustworthiness? Or their authority and decision making?"

Kota shook her head. There was a silence between the 2 for awhile before Kota spoke. "I have such a hard time connecting with people. I just can't seem to be able to get close to anybody. But, I thought when I met you all, that would change. Now with my mother soon going to be gone and everything just happening all at once, I can't help fear that something earth shattering is going to happen. I can't be alone, Paige." She finally looked up at her, "Whenever I'm alone, my mind operates 100 miles per hour and I can't even focus enough to do basic mundane things. Everything becomes about my work. I don't sleep or eat or talk to anyone when that happens." Kota went silent suddenly after she admitted all of this to Paige.

"It's natural to fear being alone. You probably already feel like a fish-out-of-water and having no one to talk to doesn't help. But please do one thing for me: don't trust a man who broke into your house," Paige said trying to make her smile. Kota exhaled sharply and laughed. "Trust the people who are trying to help you and your family. Besides, trust is earned, not given. And you've already given us a tremendous amount of trust. It's about time we start earning the rest of it.

Toby walked in to the living room to find the 2 sitting beside each other on the couch. "Kota, would you like to talk?" He asked.

Kota looked over at Paige and Paige nodded slightly telling Kota it's ok. Toby noticed the small exchange between the 2.

Kota got up without a word to either Paige or Toby and followed him into his office.

Paige sat and watched the 2 leave the room. She eventually got up and headed towards the kitchen where she was expecting to find Walter.

As soon as she turned the corner and came into Walter's view, he stood up from his chair and approached her.

"Where is she?" He asked.

"She's in Toby's office. He's probably psychoanalyzing her now," she answered with a smirk.

"What did she say?" He asked without skipping a beat.

"Well, I figured out her EQ problem." Paige answered bluntly.

"Excuse me?" Walter asked not following.

"Each of you have a specific problem with your EQ. Toby takes everyone else's into so much consideration that he doesn't analyze his own. Happy suppresses her's. Sylvester has too much. You don't have any. And Ralph, as you said, can't process physical contact."

Walter was somewhat shocked at how observant Paige was. He simply nodded waiting for her to continue.

"Kota is much like Ralph. Except she can't process emotional connections."

"What makes you say that?" He asked instantly. "Did you get that from her body language?"

Paige smiled and laughed lightly, "No. She told me."

"She told you?" He asked incredulously.

"Yeah," she nodded, "and she also told me she has a monophobia."

"The fear of being alone," Walter said under his breath.

Paige nodded, "And it makes perfect sense. She can't process emotional contact so she doesn't realize that her mother's relationship with her is toxic along with her monophobia makes her want to keep her mother alive. It explains exactly why she didn't just let her mother OD years ago."

"She could've also kept her alive for the unemployment checks," Walter speculated.

Paige was shaking her head before he even finished, "She can fake a signature. And they don't exactly check up on the people receiving the unemployment checks."

The 2 both stood there for what seemed like an eternity to Walter. He imagined he should say something that would relate to feelings to the situation, but he wasn't feeling anything. Kota wasn't asking for sympathy from the team and, except for Paige, none of them were giving her any. Each member has their own past to deal with.

That's when Walter knew what to say, "It's such a shame that the world's smartest people have such crappy pasts."

Paige looked at him trying to decipher the look on his face. It shocked her that he just made such a perceptive comment. She knew none of them were looking for pity, but that comment made it sound like he just gave the entire team, including himself, pity.

"Are you pitying yourself?" she asked after a moment of thinking.

He shrugged, "I was just wondering how different we would all be if we had each other as children or had accepting parents. Or had less judgmental childhoods."

She chuckled, "Look at Ralph. He isn't much different than you, but I'm an accepting mother, wouldn't you think?"

He looked her in the eyes, "You're a fantastic mother, Paige. From the first day at the restaurant, I knew you climbed mountains for Ralph."

She smiled, "I remember. I have yet to get new sneakers, by the way."

He laughed, "We can go to the mall after our movie on Friday. You can get whatever pair of sneakers you want."

"So our date is on?" She asked cautiously.

Walter stumbled for a moment. He had forgotten that she never officially said yes nor had they actually set a date. He shrugged nonchalantly trying to mask his fear, "If you still want to."

For a moment Paige's face fell, but she soon saw the look in his eyes; the look he had a few months ago when Happy and Toby came back to the garage after hanging out with blood streaming down both of their faces. It was the look of worry. At first Paige was confused with why Walter looked confused all those months ago. Sylvester confided with her that logically appearing with blood on your body shouldn't be the alarming sign. The blood that was on them was not nearly enough to come from a severe, life-threatening wound. So it was obvious they weren't going to die. Regardless, Walter was the first to jump up and guide them to a chair and get them cloths for the blood. It was then that Paige realized that Walter was changing; he began occasionally picking up on social ques and he began to take interests in things that were not completely science or math based.

She smiled pulling herself back to the moment, "Of course I do. Maybe Kota can watch Ralph? I think it'll be good for her to spend time with a child."

Walter's face brightened and he nodded, "We have a garage of babysitters. If you choose Kota, then so be it." He leaned down and softly placed his lips to her own.

"What was that for?" Paige whispered after they pulled away. The kiss was short and very... sweet.

"I looked up studies on the most appropriate times to physically show affection. The data said that once a new date has been set, it is appropriate to show a sign of affection. Whether it be a hug or kiss."

She looked into his eyes and internally sighed. Some days he is very human, other days, she felt like everything he did was based off of some statistic he found. _It's progress, right?_

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><p><strong>AN- Hey! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I loved writing the moment between Paige and Kota. It shows that she can have motherly instincts towards anyone, not just Ralph. I loved a few suggestions I got from you guys and next chapter I plan on implementing a few more of them. Along with a Quintus moment!**


	6. Neon Lights

**A/N So this is gonna be a short A/N, cause I really don't know what to say. Haha this chapter will have a huge Quintis moment, so I hope you Quintis fans enjoy! Please make sure you review and tell me what you think. Hey sorry I had to update this. Yet again, the first paragraph was missing when I posted it. That's getting really annoying!**

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><p>Toby stood up from his chair and motioned for Kota to follow him. As the 2 exited his office, he pointed towards the staircase. "Up the stairs and down the hall is the guest bedroom. I believe Sylvester put a sign on the door labeling it as the spare room. Do you need any help with your belongings?" he asked.<p>

She shook her head and went to grab her bag by the front door. Toby decided it would be a good time to talk to Happy about earlier so he headed off towards where he knew she and Sylvester would be looking at the blueprints.

"Have you guys figured out how Collins was snuck out?" he asked them as they came into view.

"His cell is in the west-wing of the prison- away from all offices. And no back hallways, either. The only thing is the basement, but that's used for laundry and is monitored by guards." Happy answered.

"Is there anything he could have hid behind until the guards had all left for the night?" Walter asked. He had just entered the room and immediately walked over to Happy and Sylvester and looked at the blueprints over their shoulders.

Sylvester was shaking his head, "No, the basement is just an open floor. A few support beams about a foot thick stand every few yards. And all the appliances are against the wall. But other than that, there is nothing else in the basement." As he spoke, he pointed to the screen, but the 3 blocked the view from Toby.

"Hey, Sylvester, can you bring that up on the big screen?" Toby asked after a few moments.

"Sure thing," after he calibrated a few settings, the screen of the computer came up on the big flat screen. Happy and Walter walked away from the computer and looked at the bigger image.

"What about there?" Toby asked pointing to a small entryway to the kitchen. It connected the mess hall to the kitchen.

"It's gated. And a guard stands there at all times." Happy said.

"What if that guard was one of Collins' accomplices? All he would have to do is wait until night when all the prisoners are sent back to their cells. Collins' buddy would come and get him and sneak him out through the kitchen exit."

Walter thought for a moment, trying to find any additional escape routes, but that was the fastest way he could think of. All the other routes involved going through several guarded doors and passing other cells of inmates. "Toby's right. That's how he got out."

"Where do we go from here?" Sylvester asked.

Walter stared off for a moment before answering Sylvester's question, "We tell Cabe. He'll inform the warden and they'll take care of it."

"Walter," Happy started, "they said they would take care of it last time. And look! Here we are chasing after him yet again."

"I know," he said trying to be polite. "But there's nothing else we can do. I'm sorry, but I'm going to go call Cabe now and tell him."

"What are you going to say when he asks where we saw him?" Sylvester asked.

Walter brought his hand up to his mouth and thought. His eyes instantly dropped and he looked exhausted. "Walt, you okay?" Happy asked coming up beside him.

Walter rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes for a moment, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired and I have a headache. I'll be fine." He tried to cover up his disheveled look, but once he dropped the facade, there was no going back.

Happy was shaking her head, "Walter, you go lie down. I'll call Cabe."

Walter looked appreciatingly at her and went to go lie down in the living room.

Before Happy could grab her phone from her pocket, Toby approached her. "A moment?" he asked quietly. Sylvester didn't notice the exchange between the 2, so he just turned back to his computer to do something else.

Happy nodded and led him up to her room. They would've talked in his office, but with Walter on the couch, there was no passing him without him seeing them.

"What's up?" she asked as soon as she closed the door.

"I wanted to apologize." he said simply.

Happy looked apprehensively at him, "For what?" she asked.

"Earlier, I had to check out where Collins was going and I had to make sure he got back to his 'parole' officer. I didn't mean to leave you or frighten you."

Happy avoided his eyes by looking at the ground while he spoke. "It's fine," she answered exhaling. "I know why you left and I understand too. I was just worried, that's all."

"Why I _left_? I didn't leave you, Happy. I just had to walk him back to his car." Happy's fist clenched as he finished his sentence.

"No, Toby. You _did _leave me." she said through clenched teeth. "You left me with some genius, yet temperamental, teenager while I was wondering whether you would ever come back."

"So would you have rather I let Collins just go?" he asked trying not to get mad.

"Yes!" She shouted, "I would have preferred that Toby! You know how I feel about abandonment, but yet you just left like it was nothing. I don't even understand how he could've done that! Just got up and left and never came back," a single tear came down her cheek.

"He?" Toby asked cautiously.

Happy walked past him and grabbed a tissue. "Never mind, this is stupid. Why the hell am I crying?" she said wiping her face.

"No, this isn't _stupid_. It's real, and that's why you're crying. You've been holding all of this inside you and you're finally letting it out and it's real and it's scaring you." He walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Are you comparing your dad leaving with me leaving?"

She shook her head, "I'm not comparing you leaving to his departure. I'm comparing what you said. Kota said 5 minutes and she ended up having a 10 minute conversation with a psychopath. My dad said he was going to the store and he would be back in 5 minutes, and he never did. Every time someone says 5 minutes, something bad happens. So when you said 5 minutes-"

"When I said 5 minutes," he said cutting her off speaking softly, "I meant I would be back in _5 minutes._" He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled into a hug. After a moment, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

She was shaking her head in his arms, "Please," she said just above a whisper. "Please, just don't do that again."

Toby thought about making a comment to try and get her to laugh, but he decided against it. She was opening up for once and he knew that if he said something snide, then she would punch him and he may never get the chance to talk to her like this again. He pulled back for a moment and put his hands on either side of her face. He held her for a moment before slowly pulling her towards him.

While he would've liked to think that the moment their lips touched, a spark ignited between them, it didn't. Their kiss was soft and sensual for a few seconds. That all changed when Happy let go of her emotions.

She poured all her angst from the day- hell from the past week- into the kiss. Toby could physically feel the change in her attitude; she brought her hands up behind his neck and softly clawed at his neck effectively pulling him closer to her. _Screw it_, Toby thought. He moved his hands from her face and rested them on her waist. He lifted her shirt up a little in order to rest his hands on her bare skin.

Happy pulled back to catch her breath while he moved to her neck. He kissed her neck and collar bone, her soft moans filled his ears. She pulled him back up and their lips met again.

He gasped slightly when he felt her tongue trace his bottom lip, but he quickly regained his composure and obliged. Their soft, sweet kiss was now a battle between the 2 for dominance; grasping, kissing, and sucking, he led her to her bed. She felt the back of her legs hit the bed frame and she pulled away instinctively, but still kept him close. He looked down at her scared expression whilst she looked into his eyes that said 'trust me'.

She nodded ever so slightly and he pulled her back to him. This time their kiss was soft for quite some time. Instead of lust leaking out of their lips, it was love.

He continued to push her towards the bed until they both lied down; now he was on top of her. She possessively grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head and threw it to the side. They continued to kiss for a few moments, occasionally pulling away to breath, but they always came back to each other.

Eventually, Toby pulled away only to look at her. Blood had rushed to her face over the course of the past few minutes, and there was some slight red patches on the far sides of her collar bone. _Nothing that can't be hidden by one of her flannel shirts, _he thought.

"Don't tell me you're psychoanalyzing me, doc," she said once he didn't lean back down to continue.

He smiled and shook his head, "No, but now that you mention it..." he teased.

She turned to the side and laughed. He rolled off of her and just laid beside her. "I don't want to hurt you, Happy. I'm afraid that you're rushing into this because you're afraid you'll change your mind. Can we please wait?" he asked gauging her reaction.

She nodded. After a moment of thinking, she smiled.

"What?" he asked.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you for a rain check? Not the other way around?"

He smiled and she yawned. "Cmhere," his own words were slurring together from exhaustion. "It's late. Cabe is probably asleep, call him in the morning."

She nodded and moved into his side, placing her head on his bare chest. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

><p>Kota found the guest room fairly easily. The room was simple; a bed was in the corner, a desk against the wall, and window facing the side of town that she was unfamiliar with. She dropped her bag off on her bed and looked out the window. There were fire escape stairs along the building. She opened her window and crawled out and sat on the ledge of the small platform.<p>

The sun had already set and all the businesses were beginning to shut off the lights to their outdoor signs. One by one all the neon lights went out until only a few of the night club's or 24-hour fast food restaurant's lights remained.

Unnoticed by Kota, Walter climbed out the window and sat beside her. She jumped slightly when she finally did noticed his presence.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

She smiled slightly telling him that he was forgiven.

"Do you know what Scorpion does?" he asked what seemed like out of nowhere.

She shook her head.

"We help the government solve cases and problems that can't be solved by simply typing variables into a computer. The cases we solve deal with mastermind criminals who have most likely been planning their schemes for weeks, if not years. Sylvester deals with the mathematics of the cases. Toby deals with any emotional reasoning or connections these criminals may have with their plans. Happy looks at all mechanical technology that was involved. I try to direct the team to use all of their abilities and skills to focus on the case. And Paige helps us understand the victims."

After a moment of silence, Kota turned to him, "Why are you telling me this?"

"The case at your high school. That would've taken us days to test the chemicals. And we don't know your teacher; we didn't know if he was prone to making mistakes. But you, you identified it in seconds. You're a genius Kota." He finished.

"So? I wouldn't have been helpful if I didn't know that Mr. Lancy nor my classmates have a tendency to not dry the beakers completely."

Walter shrugged, "We'll all better at cases that we're connected to. We have inside information and observations that not everyone else has. Regardless, you _are _a genius. And after a discussion with my team, we have concluded that you would be a valuable asset to Scorpion. You don't have to give me an answer now- I know you probably want to think through all the pros and cons of joining us."

Kota wasn't really all that shocked; based on the small comments other member of the team have made, she was expecting Walter to ask her to join them.

She nodded, "Can I give you an answer tomorrow evening?"

Walter smiled, "Of course. If you need more time, please take all the time you need to decide." He got up from where he was sitting and went back into the garage, leaving Kota to watch as more neon lights went out into the darkness.

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><p><strong>AN Hey guys! Hope you all enjoyed! I actually really like this chapter for Kota's character development. And there are A LOT of small details in this chapter that will be EXTREMELY important. So please stay tuned! I don't know how much writing I'll be able to get done tomorrow and for the remainder of the week. But by next weekend, I'll be off for Christmas break and I'll definitely get a lot down. **


	7. Tranquilizer

**A/N Hello everyone! So I apologize for the delay, I was having _major _writer's block. I knew how I wanted the story to go, but I just _couldn't write. Dang it!_ Haha, oh well. I wrote it eventually right? Well I hope you guys enjoy the newest installment of _Burning._**

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><p>The room around Kota was still completely black when she opened her eyes. She looked over at the small alarm clock that rested on a nightstand and it read 6:15 AM. While still in her dreamlike state, she slowly began to realize what woke her up: a draft. <em>Must've not closed the window<em>, she thought. She got up from her bed and padded to the window to close it with a soft thud. She walked back to the bed and quickly fell back asleep in the warm comforts of her blankets. She wouldn't notice the note on her desk till morning…

* * *

><p>Toby woke when he felt Happy shift slightly beside him.<p>

"Hey," he said softly.

Happy smiled, "Go back to sleep. I have to use the restroom. I'll be back in a minute," she had to disentangle herself from his arms. Once she did, she walked uncharacteristically gracefully to the bathroom.

Toby tried to fall back asleep, but with the early morning light peering in, he couldn't. Happy was gone not 2 minutes when they both heard the scream. Toby jumped from the bed as Happy burst through the bathroom doors.

* * *

><p>Walter woke at the crack of dawn. He had been awake for hours, calculating the most cost effective heating temperature for the different rooms of the garage.<em> I'll have to talk to Kota about her temperature preferences later<em>. But now he was sitting at the small island in the middle of the kitchen enjoying a bowl of chex cereal. He stood up from his chair and mindlessly began to pace around the room with his breakfast in hand. He was thinking about the government; hoping they would soon trust the team to give them a new job. He as well heard the scream. The same scream that sent Toby and Happy running, sent him running also. He didn't even hear the shattering of the bowl as it fell to the ground.

* * *

><p>Kota re-awoke around 7:30. Light began to shine through her window. She sat up and stretched; last night was stressful, but it felt good to be able to rest. She looked around the empty room. Kota didn't have much more at her house, but at least there her room was smaller. The absence of personal belongings was less noticeable.<p>

She slowly got up from her bed and walked towards her bag on her desk to grab a set of clean clothes. She quickly got changed and looked at her clock again. 7:40, it read. _Time to take my medication_, she thought. She reached into her bag and pulled out her prescription medication from below the pile of her mother's. She reached for the water bottle on her desk. Kota noticed a piece of parchment paper neatly folded as she brought the bottle to her lips. She read the letter silently, but soon dropped her water along with the pill.

That's when she screamed.

And that's when Toby and Happy burst through her doors.

"What happened?" Toby yelled looking around her room for an intruder. He saw no one beside Kota who was standing beside her bed with a note in her hand.

Before she could answer, Walter ran through the already open door. "Is everyone alright?" He asked. Sylvester was out helping Paige who out was helping Megan grocery shop. Ralph was at Drew's.

"You said you'd call Cabe." Kota said quietly. "You said he would take care of Collins."

Walter looked curiously at her. "Happy said she and Toby would call him. I had a head…" Kota had finished listening to Walter after the first sentence. She looked over at Toby and Happy who were standing closer together today than they were yesterday.

"Oh my God," Kota's voice was getting louder. She didn't know whether or not she had just interrupted Walter, but she quite frankly couldn't care less. "You 2 didn't call him last night because you 2," she was practically shouting right now, "were having sex!" She finished.

Toby instantly turned defensive, "Hey!" He shouted pointing his finger at her. "You have no rig-"

"What do you mean 'hey!'?" She shouted ignoring his second comment. "I'm the only one here that has any reason to be mad. This man broke into my house with my unconscious mother lying around! This man broke into my room while I was sleeping! Do you know how vulnerable that makes me?" She shouted right back at him.

"What?" Walter interjected. "He broke into your room? Happy reinforced all the looks- windows, doors, safes. They should all be practically unbreakable."

"Did she?" Kota instantly accusing her. "Or did she just _say _she would and then go off with Toby to their room?"

Happy and Toby were fuming at this point. But before they could say something back, Kota grabbed her bag and shoved past them, hitting Toby's shoulder with her own as she passed him. She walked out of the room and descended the stairs. Toby turned to go after her either because he knew it was dangerous for her to go out or because he was so angry with her. However, Walter stopped him.

"Is she right?" He asked.

Toby couldn't seem to find words so Happy answered for him. "No," she said. "She's not. I made a stupid decision, Walter. I was tired and it was late and I thought that Cabe would have already been asleep. So I told myself I would call Cabe in the morning. I didn't think Collins would pull the same thing twice within 2 days."

Toby couldn't meet Walter's eyes, so Walter turned to Happy. "But you did sleep together?"

She exhaled before nodding.

Walter shook his head, "You can't let feelings affect your judgment. You _know_ that Happy."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. It was a stupid decision and I'm sorry." She said praying that Walter would let it go.

Walter sighed. Just then the 3 heard the door downstairs open and close. "Walter?" He heard Paige shout from below.

Walter left the room without a word and went to greet the 3 returning home.

Happy casted a glance at Toby, but he refused to meet her eyes. She sighed and turned to the mess in Kota's room; blankets were on the floor, water was spilled everywhere, and some of her belongings that weren't in her bag were scattered.

Meanwhile, Toby turned his back and followed behind Walter.

He walked into the tail end of the conversation Walter was having with Sylvester and Paige. Megan was nowhere to be seen.

"She just left? Where could she possibly go? Home? That is at least a 10 mile walk," Paige said.

"Sylvester," Walter said like this was another case. "I want you and Toby," this was the first time he had acknowledged Toby since he entered the room, "to scan through the security cameras outside the garage. Check street cameras too. I want to know where she disappeared to." Sylvester nodded and beckoned Toby to followed him to his computer.

"Walter!" Happy said coming down the stairs from her room. She was clearly concerned. "We got a problem," she continued.

"What, Happy?" He asked not in the mood for more bad news.

"I was cleaning up Kota's room. And I found this," she held out a prescription medication bottle.

"Who's it for? Kota or her mom?" He asked.

"Kota. And what it's for isn't pretty,"

"What is it?" Paige asked taking interest.

"Anger management issues." Happy responded grimly.

"Anger management?" Walter was astounded. "Toby!" He called for the Doc to join them.

Toby came into the room quickly, "Yeah?" He asked.

"Did you have any idea that Kota had anger issues?" Walter asked. He was furious with Toby.

"What?" He asked in disbelief.

"She has anger issues! How could you not pick up on that?" Walter shouted.

"Walter," Paige started, "it's not his fault."

"Paige," he drifted off. He was trying to find a way to tell her to back off without hurting her feelings.

"No, Walter. It isn't Toby's fault." Happy said before Walter could continue. "This is benzodiazepine, also known as Benzos. It's practically a tranquilizer. It probably altered her personality completely. And depending on how long she's been taking it, she could also be experiencing other side effects. Benzos is designed for short term use. Long-term use can have psychological and physical effects and sometimes cause _physical dependence_. That's why she has a monophobia."

"Did she take it today?" He asked taking in all the information.

She looked at him gravely, "I found a pill on the ground. So, no."

Walter's nostrils flared as he shouted, "Sylvester!"

Toby, Paige, and Walter rushed to Sylvester, all praying that he had some idea of where she was. Happy trailed behind them, not finished with her bad news. "Walter!" He turned around to face her. "I also found this. It's kinda soaked but since he wrote in pen, you can still read it." Happy didn't dare hand the fragile piece of paper to him, fearing that it would fall apart in their hands.

"What does it say?" Walter asked.

"It's a note from Collins. In it he asks Kota to meet him outside the garage at 7:45. That's where she went. He probably had a car ready to pick her up. And you're _really _not gonna like what else it says." She stopped there, unable to continue.

"Well?" Walter asked urging her to go on.

"Guys!" Sylvester said trying to get their attention. Paige and Toby turned to him, leaving Happy and Walter standing there looking at each other, exchanging a silent conversation.

"Did you figure out where they went?" Paige asked.

"Well here we see Kota getting into a dark blue Sedan," Sylvester pointed to the computer screen indicating the car that Kota had gotten into. "It pulls out of the parking lot to the garage and turns right. At first I thought he would get on the highway, but he passes the onramp. Shortly after, the driver takes a bunch of side roads and alleys that don't have cameras. He gets maybe 4 miles before we lose track of him."

"You said he turned right?" Toby asked.

Sylvester nodded.

"I know where he's going. He's taking her to the other side of town. He's taking her back-"

"to her house," Paige interrupted finally understanding what was happening.

"Sylvester, you and Paige stay here and _call Cabe. _Give him Kota's address and tell him that Collins has escaped and has her. Happy, Toby, and I are going to head to her house. Happy, you're driving," he said tossing a set of keys at her, which she caught.

"I should go with you guys," Paige said. Her comment momentarily shocked the team. "She trusts me," she explained.

"Paige, a minute?" He asked pulling her aside. Happy and Toby headed put towards the car and Sylvester picked up the phone to call Cabe. "I understand your logic. I get why you think you should go. _But, _this is more than just Collins trying to get back at us now. He has a reason to take Kota back to her house. And I'm afraid he might try and do something reckless. I don't want you anywhere near him. Please," he begged, "think of Ralph." Walter knew that was a low blow. Telling Paige to stay for Ralph's sake. He knew she was always thinking of what was best for Ralph, but he had to find a way to get her to stay.

Just as Walter turned towards where Happy and Toby were waiting, Paige stopped him by grabbing his arm. "What did the note say?" She asked realizing that Walter's previous comment was in reference to whatever was on the letter Happy found.

Walter sighed and looked at the ground for a moment. "He says that he's her father," he answered looking back up at her.

Paige thought for a minute. She recognizes that she hasn't spent an extensive amount of time with Collins to come to the conclusion that they are father-daughter, but _really? Collins has a _daughter?

Before she could form a sentence, Walter grabbed her by her arms and pulled her in for a swift kiss. "I promise you I will come back. Now please stay here." He pleaded.

"Walter!" Happy shouted. "We gotta go!"

Walter let go of Paige and turned towards Happy and Toby.

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><p><strong>AN So what did you think? I didn't want to make what was on the note a cliffhanger because sometimes I feel like writers try to hard to have cliffhangers cause they think that will make people come back to their stories. And yes, sometimes that does work out, but I want you guys to come back to the story because you _like it. _Not because you're dying to know something that you may not even ultimately like. Also because I hate cliffhangers and I wouldn't want to be a hypocrite ;). Thank you all so much for all the favs, follows, and reviews. I realize every author wants reviews so I don't want to be too annoying about this, but _please _review. I thank those of you who have been, but for everyone else, how am I supposed to know if you like it or not? Haha, thanks again, and Happy Holidays!**


	8. Revelations

**A/N hello everyone! Thank you all so much for your patience. Between school, volleyball, my semi-formal, and just an annoying writer's block, it seemed impossible to get this chapter out. I hope you all enjoy this update!**

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><p>Kota had no fear as car drove thru the neighborhood. She made the decision to come out to the car and if she was killed or kidnapped, it was her fault. Not Walter's. Nor Toby's. Her's.<p>

_On second thought, it's perfectly natural to jump into a stranger's car when I'm pissed at the people around. Especially since I have anger issues. And when the last I heard from said stranger, he was telling I that he was your father. Nah, it's my fault. I really doubt I can twist it into being anyone else's fault. _

She recognized some of streets that the car turned into. Mulberry, Pike, and Quincy; all were roads that her bus sometimes took if there was an accident on one of the more major roads.

The man driving the car wore sunglasses and a hat. _In case a security camera picks up his face._ It was obvious to her that was the reason they were traveling this way to her house.

It took them the time that was expected to take to get to her home: 12 minutes. The man didn't say anything, just unlocked the doors and waited for her to get out. She grabbed her bag and climbed out of the car. As soon as the car door was closed the man pulled away, not waiting for her to walk away from the car.

She stood for a moment looking at the outside of her house. The small lone tree in her front yard was as it was last time she saw it: full and lively.

Kota dropped her bag off beside the tree and walked towards her front door. She took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Her mother was nowhere to be seen but the man from before was sitting at her dining room table.

"Where is she?" Kota asked no needing to note that she was talking about her mother.

Collins was watching her from the moment she entered the house and he spoke, "Safe. That's all that matters."

"Since when do you care about her safety? You left. And you _knew _she could and would OD at any moment."

Collins smirked, "I will disregard your stupidity. This has never been about you _or _your mother. Sorry to break to you, but I could care less what happens to either of you."

Kota didn't flinch as he delivered the news that should be heartbreaking to any other child. It didn't faze her though. "Then tell me. What has this _all _been about?"

He chuckled, "This has been about me getting the recognition that I have _always _deserved. And more importantly, it's about taking away all of the pride that Walter and his band of misfit toys have been getting. Every time they get a pat on the back, I think about how that should be _mine._"

She looked at him with pity, "You're a grown man. _Get over it. Get over _the fact that you didn't get what you wanted. In fact, if you ask me, I think you got exactly what you deserved: a cell to rot in." she said approaching him with her hands clenched into fists.

Her comment angered him and he walked towards her as well. Before she could move to attack him, he pulled a stun gun out from behind his back and electro-shocked her, leaving her incapacitated on the ground.

* * *

><p>Happy sped through the small streets towards Kota's house. According to Sylvester and Walter's calculations, they were at least 13 minutes behind them. Knowing Collins, it would be easy for him to severely hurt or even kill someone in that amount of time. Several horns beeped at her as she weaved in and out of both lanes, but she ignored the noise. Toby sat beside her tapping his fingers and Walter was in the back looking out the window.<p>

"Don't think, Walter," Happy said looking at him in her rear view mirror. "You'll put yourself in a rabbit hole before we even get there," she continued this time looking away.

"It'll be our fault," he said not making eye contact with her as she looked back again.

"No, she's 18 years old. Legally, she made her decision. It was a stupid as all hell decision. but it was hers. Besides, logically, what would Collins have to gain from hurting her before we even get there? If he's gonna hurt her, he's gonna wait until we're there so that we have to watch."

He brought his hand to his mouth and dragged it down, "Great pep talk, Happy. Just fantastic," he said extremely irritated.

"Walter, shut it. I'm willing to bet that you don't even care about _her. _You're just mad that Collins might win. I told you before and I will tell you again, 'I am _not _going to drag you out of a rabbit hole again.'" She waited for him to say something, but when he didn't, she continued, "When we get there, the plan is to save _her. _Not take Collins. Not win. To get her and escape. Don't get in over your head. Remember who has the upper hand here. Collins knows her house and knows her. And despite what you want, you don't."

Walter was shaking his head, "How dare yo-"

"Will you guys stop it?" Toby interrupted, "Happy, stop trying to be a hero. Thank you for saving me earlier. But it's time he knows the truth. Walter," he turned around to face him, "I convinced Happy the other day to not call Cabe. It's my fault. And I'm taking responsibility. And Walter, _stop trying _to be some amazing leader. We all have faults. And yours is that you can't let it go. Now, no, Happy. That is not the plan. The plan is we get in, find Kota, and take down Collins. I don't care if he knows the house, so does Kota. And I don't care if he knows her. In case you didn't notice, I'm kinda a psychologist. I know her too. And as far as taking Collins down goes, right now it's 3 against 1. And soon it will be 4 against 1. I'm sure we can figure it out. Plus the fact that Sylvester is calling Cabe now and he'll be here as soon as possible."

Happy pulled into Kota's driveway just as Toby finished his rant. Toby didn't wait for either Walter or Happy to say anything, as soon as the car was parked, he jumped out and rushed up to the door.

Walter and Happy climbed out after him without saying anything either. Toby burst through the door and immediately checked his surroundings; Kota, Collins, nor Kota's mother were in sight. Toby saw a broken window behind the kitchen table and he went to check it out.

Happy went to the back rooms to check if anyone was there. After a moment, Walter and Toby heard her shout, "Nobody's back here."

"I'll go check the basement," Walter told Toby. Toby simply nodded and went to check the second floor.

"Happy you stay and wait in case Cabe comes," Walter shouted to her. He opened the door to the basement and slowly walked down the stairs.

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><p>Before vision came back to her, Kota could hear. She heard someone moving about and she heard voices above her. And she felt pressure on her forehead. Dakota tried to move her hand up to her head but her hand wouldn't budge. Her eyes opened slowly; it was very dark, just a little light came from the side window and a single lamp in the corner. It took her a moment to realize that she was in her basement. Her eyes slid down to her hand and she saw it was handcuffed to the leg of a sofa. Collins was nowhere in sight. Her other hand was free and she brought it up to try and ease the pounding headache.<p>

"You hit your head on the corner of the coffee table when you collapsed," a voice said. Kota heard the words perfectly clear but she had a hard time putting meanings to the words. "Walter is coming down now. You are to remain quiet. Understand?" When Kota didn't respond other than by having a blank, confused look on her face, Collins smirked. "Not that your brain can actually process anything to do anything."

Immediately following his comment, footsteps were heard coming down the stairs.

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><p>It took a moment for Walter's eyes to adjust to the darkness but once they did, he saw a pair of legs protruding from a couch in the corner of the room. He slowly walked over and saw Dakota sitting there, her eyes wide. She didn't move or make any noise.<p>

"You know, this was never about hurting anyone," a voice said from behind Walter. "It was never about killing anyone, either," the voice continued.

"Then what was this about, Mark?" Walter asked turning around to face the man who had appeared.

"It was about having the upper hand. Honestly, how could you not have known? This was about me being smarter than you. The hair, the eyes, the dimples. How could you have not known that she is my daughter?" Collins asked actually sounding mad that Walter hadn't figured it out.

Walter looked at him cautious as to what to say next, "When did you know?"

Collins smirked and began, "Now if you had been with Happy and Toby when they first came back to her house." He said avoiding Walter's question. "If you had been with them, you would've seen her mother. I'm fortunate that you didn't. Or you would've recognized her and then we wouldn't be where we are today." He gestured around the room.

"Are you implying that I know her mother?" Walter asked trying to stall until Cabe got here.

"I'm not implying, I'm saying you do. And I want _you _to figure it out. Look at Kota's eyes. Recall her stature, her stance. She is honestly an identical copy of her mother."

Walter actually did as Collins' asked and thought. He looked at Kota on the floor; her breathing was rapid and her face glistened slightly from sweat. Walter thought back to any woman he and Collins had ever interacted with. A possibility came into his mind, but everything about her screamed _NO!_

"Alice? Alice Grady?" Walter asked quietly.

Collins smirked, "She had a daughter…" Collins said antagonizing him.

"She had a daughter," Walter said ignoring Mark, "named Gabrielle."

Collins nodded.

"But Alice wasn't an addict. Nor did she drink excessively," Walter said trying to contradict what Collins was saying.

Collins laughed out loud and then walked up to Walter. "Why do you think I always cooked?" He said quietly and laughed again. He turned and left a horrified Walter standing there not moving an inch.

"You, you," he stammered, "you got her addicted? You son of a bi-"

"Oh give me a break!" he interrupted, "Alice had the baby before she left. She wasn't addicted while she was pregnant!"

"Why? Alice was _our _friend," Walter asked dumbfounded.

"Because you never knew! You never noticed the obvious! The hair, the eyes, the dimples! How could you not notice that I was Gabrielle's father?!" Collins screamed.

"Alice said it was known of our concern and I knew that there was no way I was going to get it out of her, so I dropped it. I never thought about it after that," Walter admitted. He was angry with himself for not noticing all those years ago. When Alice had left with Gabrielle, err, or Dakota, Walter was shocked. As he had mentioned, the 3 were friends.

"You never thought about it because you didn't _want _to. On some emotional level, you loved Alice. Whether you knew it or not, I don't care. But you did. And when she found out she was pregnant, you were devastated."

"Why do you _care_?" Walter screamed back finally working up his anger on Mark.

"Because, love clouded your intelligence when Kota was a child. And this proves that it still does! You are too distracted by Ralph and Paige that, yet again, you didn't notice the obvious!"

"So this entire thing," he gestured around the room, "drugging Alice, attacking Kota, breaking into her house _twice _was all to prove a point?"

He shrugged as if it wasn't that big of a deal, "would you have listened otherwise? You let me rot in that jail, not only once, but twice!"

"You let yourself rot in that place, not me." Walter said shaking his head. His comment angered Collins and just as Mark lunged to attack Walter, the basement door swung open and the 3 heard Cabe scream from on top the stairs, "Homeland Security! Put down the weapon!"

Cabe had his gun trained on Mark's torso and 4 agents followed behind Cabe down the stairs. A woman ran to Kota and attempted to help her sit up. Collins looked at Walter and shook his head. Before either could say anything, an agent cuffed Collins and another walked to Walter. He put his hand on Walter's back, directing him to the stairs.

"Your team members are waiting for you upstairs, Mr. O'Brien," The agent told him. Walter didn't argue and heading up to the main level of the house. As he remembered Kota, he turned back to help, but the man stopped him. "She will get the help required. Rachel will guarantee of that." He jerked his chin to the female agent helping Kota.

While Walter ordinarily would've argued, he decided to drop it this time and nodded.

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><p><strong>AN What did you think? Anything make sense? Hahaha, I kind of just had this epiphany and voila! Haha, I'm debating doing what I saw another author do- previews and special content for reviews. I would send it via PM's. Tell me what you think! And if you ever have any questions about the story or the characters, please feel free to review your question or PM me! **

**Also, I have no idea what the side effects of being shocked with a stun gun are. I do know that different charges have different effects and different levels of pain. For the story, I had Kota have the side effect of just being unable to move or talk for a short period of time. However, please _do not think _that those are the side effects/the only side effects. **


	9. Family Only

**A/N Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for being patient with my last chapter. And thank you all for the new reviews. Enjoy!**

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><p>Walter was required to be checked out by a medical physician before he could go anywhere else. He was ushered from the home into an ambulance and forced to at least sit down; Happy and Toby were nowhere in sight.<p>

"Really, I'm fine. I just need to speak to my team," he pleaded with one of the 2 EMT's. The male was named Joseph and his female partner was Kristy.

"We have direct orders from Homeland to take you to the hospital. Agent Gallo told us to the rely a message," Kristy smirked before finishing.

"Yes?" Walter urged on.

"Please don't be offended; these are Agent Gallo's words specifically," she sighed, but continued. "He said to tell you to, 'Shut up and listen to the docs.' Also that your team will be waiting for you there."

Under normal circumstances, Walter _might_ have smiled. But the only thing her comment brought to him was reassurance that Cabe had given those orders to the EMT's. Despite his indifference to their demands, Walter sat quietly in the ambulance and waited to be reunited with his team.

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><p>Paige had gotten a call on her cell phone from Toby: "Meet us at the hospital. Kota's injured and Walter's being taken there now in an ambulance," and he hung up, not waiting for an answer.<p>

So after she dropped Ralph off at Drew's, she headed to the hospital, thinking about her conversation with Drew.

_"He kidnapped a girl?" Drew asked dumbfounded._

_Paige sighed, "Drew, I really don't have time for this. Just please watch Ralph, I need to meet Walter at the hospital." She regretted specifying Walter as soon as she did it._

_"Was Walter hurt?" Drew asked not sounding nearly as concerned as he did when he had asked about Kota's health._

_"I don't know. Toby just said that he and Happy were on their way and that I had to meet them there. Sylvester is waiting for Megan to get out of therapy and then he will take her over. Now will you please just watch Ralph? I will come and pick him up later," Paige answered. Drew's constant pressure on Paige to get back together had done a number on her. Until she finally exploded and shouted at Drew that she and Walter had started seeing each other. The only problem was that they hadn't started seeing each other _yet _when she told him. But that problem resolved itself when not even a week later Walter kissed Paige. Ever since then, Drew has started withdrawing from the garage, Paige, and even Ralph._

_"Why doesn't Ralph just go with you?" Drew asked purposively being difficult._

_"Because Collins _broke out of jail, _anyone involved with that is being watched heavily; Walter, Kota, Happy, Toby, and probably me once I head over. I don't want Ralph involved in that."_

_Drew's small paternal instinct began to kick in and he nodded. Paige took that as a yes and turned back to head to her car._

She turned into the parking lot of the hospital and saw Happy waiting in the doorway. Happy began to explain the situation to Paige as she got closer.

"Collins stunned Kota in the back of her neck; she has a severe burn and can't really move her head now. After she was stunned, she went down and hit her head off a table or something. Walter told the docs that Kota wasn't moving or talking during his confrontation with Collins, but she was definitely awake," Happy explained as the 2 girls headed into the hospital. Toby jumped up from his seat in the waiting room once he saw them enter.

"Where is she now?" Paige asked both Toby and Happy.

"In her room. Only family is allowed in," Toby answered quickly.

"What?" Paige asked disbelievingly. "Only family? Her mom's a freakin addict and her dad is kidnapper. Who the hell do they think she has left?"

"They're waiting for her to wake up. They said that if she requests us after she wakes, then we can go in," he answered trying to calm her down. Paige then realized that he was most likely trying to calm her down because they had probably already gone through all this with the nurses and that it wasn't worth getting thrown out of the hospital for causing a disturbance.

Paige took a deep breath and continued, "Why can't we just go in and wait for her to wake up?" she asked trying to lower her voice and sound calm.

Toby looked at Happy cautiously. but eventually answered her, "Because she ran. They have 'reason for suspicion'," he said with air quotes, "that she ran away because of being mistreated. So they want to question her before we can speak to her. Also the doc worries that it will cause her stress and her condition will worsen if she wakes up and we're there."

Paige brought her hand up to her forehead. _"The more trouble I give security, the more they suspect we did something to her or had a part in Collins' escape," _Paige thought. She sighed and then remembered Walter, "What about Walter?"

Happy jerked her head to a room down the hall, "You can go in," she said loudly. Before Paige could move to leave, Happy grabbed her arm and whispered to her, "Just go along with whatever Walt says. And if anyone stops to question you while you're alone, make it clear that everything you and Scorpion did was out of fear of Collins and in an attempt to save Kota. Nod if you understand." Happy looked at the security guard who was watching them closely.

Paige pulled back nodding and said a little louder than normal, "Megan's fine; she and Sylvester will be over soon. There's no need to worry," Paige smiled and headed towards Walter's room. She figured that it was best that she pretended to be an innocent oblivious girl.

Happy watched as the guard relaxed slightly and she sighed. Happy smiled and grabbed Toby's hand and the 2 sat down in the waiting room. The team was far from safe even away from Collins.

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><p>It didn't take Walter long to figure out what Gallo's message was really about: for him to shut up and just go along with whatever the doctors tell the police. And to take whatever cover he can.<p>

He confirmed his suspicion when Happy and Toby came to visit earlier. First of all they were restricted to a 10 minute visit and the door was wide open the entire time.

Second, both of their expressions were guarded when they walked into his room; fake smiles and very basic, general news on Kota. But they quickly jumped from the topic of Kota to Paige. They explained that _she _was on her way; no mention of Ralph. Walter picked up on the hints and did not ask about him.

Within 5 minutes of entering, Happy and Toby left Walter alone to wait for Paige to get there.

The entire time he begged internally that they would find a way to brief Paige before she got there.

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><p>Paige was in fact stopped by security guard on her way to Walter's room. It was a good thing that Happy had warned her otherwise she would've exploded at the guard as to why they are not allowed to see Kota. However, with Happy's warning in mind, Paige was able to play it off that she, "couldn't think or speak to anyone before she saw the love of her life, Walter". She even managed to get a tear or 2 out. As soon as the tears started, the guard's eyes widened and he let her pass without actually getting an answer.<p>

Paige decided to continue the charade until she was able to get to Walter's room. He was sitting on his bed, deep in thought. When he saw her with her red, tearstained face, he nearly jumped off his bed to comfort her. But she shook her head ever so slightly in an attempt to tell him to keep up the facade.

She turned around and closed the door softly before turning back and enveloping Walter in a very genuine hug.

He pulled away, but kept her in his arms and half-laughed, "Why are you crying?"

She smiled and went to grab a tissue from his bedside table, "I had to get the security guard off my back."

"Where's Ralph?" he asked sitting back down on his bed.

"I dropped him off at Drew's; I knew anyone who came to see you or Kota would be investigated and I don't want Ralph involved in this whole mess." She shook her head, "How can they be so blind to not see that Collins is the one who started this _all_," she gestured around the hospital room.

"The prison doesn't want to admit that Collins was able to break out from the inside. If the media finds out, they'll have a field day. So, they are making this huge investigation to make it at least look like he might have had help. Hopefully the media will get bored replaying the same story, cause the government is definitely _not _going to give them any new information, and will stop. Once Cabe gets here, I'm sure we'll be free to go," he said trying to sound reassuring. He knew Paige was strong so he wasn't sure if she actually needed the comfort or not, but he figured, "why not?"

"How do you feel?" Paige asked trying to change the subject just a little.

"I'm perfectly fine. The EMT's demanded that I come with them in an ambulance to the hospital even though Collins didn't even touch me," he answered.

"Good, so I can do this," she bent over the bed and grabbed a pillow. With it in hand, she hit him as hard as possible, obviously not causing any pain. After all, it was just a pillow.

Walter's face was a mixture of amusement and confusion. He decided to hide the amusement so he wouldn't upset Paige any further, "What was that for?"

She looked at him seriously, "Do not ever tell me to think for Ralph again. That is all I ever do. Understood?"

He nodded, "I'm sorry Paige. I couldn't risk you going into the situation when I had no idea what he had planned. I'm sorry I used that tactic, but I won't apologize for having you stay at the garage."

Paige's eyes softened a little and she dropped the pillow on the bed. "It's okay. I was more shocked than anything that you used that against me."

"So am I forgiven?" he asked hopeful.

She smiled a little and leaned forward, placing her lips on his. The heart monitor that Walter was unnecessarily attached to started beeping faster and Paige pulled back with a smile.

"So I do have an effect on you? What happened to not being able to feel emotions?" she asked. Walter pulled her into his lap and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder feeling strangely at peace considering they could still be in danger.

"Not even _I _can fathom how much you have changed me, Paige Dineen," he whispered softly into her ear.

She smiled and pulled him close to her again. And yet again, the monitor beeped faster.

* * *

><p>Happy watched as the security guard approached Paige, but within a matter of seconds he let her pass and she ran to Walter's room. Happy refocused to her surroundings; the nurse sitting at her desk was relatively calm. She continuingly checked the clock, but then went back to work.<p>

"She's trying to quick smoking," Toby whispered into Happy's ear. She jumped a little at how close he was and how warm his breath felt on her neck.

"What?" She asked trying to regain her composure.

He jerked his chin at the woman at the desk, "She permits herself a certain number of cigarettes a day. I would imagine 1 every 2 hours or so. Based on her foot tapping and how little work she's gotten done in the past 20 minutes, I would imagine she is closing in on her next cigarette break," he said still keeping his voice low.

"How do you know she hasn't gotten any work done?" Happy asked intrigued about how he knew so much about people he barely knew.

He smirked. He was not oblivious to her interest in his intelligence, but he didn't comment on it. "She isn't the welcome nurse; her job isn't at that desk. No other nurse remains seated for so long; they are all moving around getting files or talking to patients or their families. She's the only one who's been sitting."

Happy nodded understanding his reasoning even though she herself would not have come to those conclusions alone. Happy turned to the guard standing in the corner. He has been standing there ever since Happy first exploded when they were told they couldn't see Kota.

"He's staring at us," she whispered to Toby. He knew exactly who she was talking about without needing her to explain.

"If you want him to go away, you need to relax. Be more... _normal," _Happy could hear the smirk in his voice when he said "normal".

"And how am I supposed to do that exactly?" She asked.

"Try having a conversation with me," he suggested.

"What will that do? That won't prove anything," she said rejecting him even though she knew he was the most familiar with body language.

"Do you trust me?" He asked ignoring her previous comment.

She frowned curious as to why he was asking her this, but she eventually nodded.

Toby smirked and shifted. He put his left around Happy's shoulder and rested his right hand on her stomach lightly.

"What are you doing?" she hissed but didn't move away.

"I'm giving him reason to believe you're pregnant," he answered simply.

"Why they hell are you trying to convince him of _that_?" She asked sharply. While she did trust Toby, Happy did not like the situation he was putting her in.

"If he thinks you are pregnant, he will internally reason that your little outburst earlier was nothing more than a crazy hormonal pregnant woman. And now for the icing on the cake," he said turning his head again. He leaned down and brushed his lips against her's. She didn't move in her chair, but did begin to kiss him back just as he pulled away.

Sure enough, when she looked towards the man, he had left his position in the corner and was talking to the woman at the counter whom Toby had said was trying to quit smoking. He looked over at Toby and Happy, which they pretended to not notice, and the nurse nodded. He then headed towards the exit and left.

After he left, Toby removed his right hand from her stomach, but kept his left arm where it was.

"How did you do that?" She asked dumbfounded.

"Well, we've already gone over that public displays of affection make people uncomfortable. Also, he himself is a father so he understands what a hormonal mother is like."

"And how did you know he is a father?" She asked.

"The bags under his eyes mean he either has been up late at night or been getting up in the night. To feed a baby, I presumed. His stance was more relaxed than a typical police officer's. This means he recently has had to be softer. You can't hold a baby like convict, you know?" he joked.

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><p><strong>AN I hope you all liked the newest update of _Burning. _The story will soon wind down a little and I was wondering if you wanted me to write another? I debating either a collection of One-shots or an actual story. Please tell me what you think! Also, I wanted to acknowledge how much the fandom has grown. When I first started writing this, there was just over 100 stories. _Now _there is 186. And depending on when you read this, there might be even more!**


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